Barclays Issues Positive Forecast for Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) Stock Price

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) had its price objective hoisted by Barclays from $262.00 to $268.00 in a research note released on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the health services provider’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on UHS. TD Cowen cut their target price on Universal Health Services from $251.00 to $245.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Universal Health Services in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating on shares of Universal Health Services in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Raymond James Financial set a $270.00 target price on shares of Universal Health Services and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on Universal Health Services from $227.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Universal Health Services currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $234.53.

Universal Health Services Price Performance

UHS stock opened at $204.27 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The company’s 50-day moving average is $216.32 and its 200-day moving average is $210.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.76 billion, a PE ratio of 8.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.26. Universal Health Services has a 1 year low of $152.33 and a 1 year high of $246.32.

Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The health services provider reported $5.88 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.92 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $4.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.50 billion. Universal Health Services had a return on equity of 19.84% and a net margin of 8.57%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $4.92 earnings per share. Universal Health Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 22.640-24.520 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Universal Health Services will post 15.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Health Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Universal Health Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 3.80%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Health Services

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UHS. Pzena Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Universal Health Services by 31.5% during the fourth quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 2,112,604 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $460,590,000 after acquiring an additional 505,575 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Universal Health Services by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,588,911 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $346,447,000 after purchasing an additional 94,447 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Universal Health Services by 11.1% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,461,198 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $264,696,000 after purchasing an additional 145,730 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its holdings in shares of Universal Health Services by 7.1% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,206,000 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $262,932,000 after buying an additional 80,236 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in Universal Health Services by 3.5% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 926,669 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $167,866,000 after buying an additional 31,201 shares during the period. 86.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Universal Health Services News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Universal Health Services this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target and kept an overweight rating, highlighting upside expectations that could support the stock longer term. Barclays price target raise
• Positive Sentiment: UHS forecasts further revenue and earnings gains for 2026 and reported improved operating performance in 2025 (11.5% operating margin; net income up ~30%), which supports the company’s longer-term profitability outlook. UHS forecasts for 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Local/university matter — officials say they are near a deal to end George Washington University’s financial support arrangement with UHS for the MFA program; this appears operational/legal and is unlikely to materially affect consolidated results but bears watching for reputational or contract-close costs. GWU / MFA support
• Negative Sentiment: UHS slightly missed Q4 estimates (EPS $5.88 vs. $5.92 consensus) and revenue narrowly missed forecasts; management cited lower-than-expected admissions as a drag — the beat/miss proximity still disappointed traders. Q4 miss / admissions weakness
• Negative Sentiment: UHS updated FY2026 EPS guidance to a range that sits slightly around/below consensus midpoints, and said it expects a roughly $35M earnings hit from California’s new psychiatric staffing mandate — adding a clear near-term cost pressure. California staffing mandate $35M hit
• Negative Sentiment: Market commentary and headlines are framing the miss + guidance/cost news as the cause of heavy selling today; coverage highlights valuation and S&P inclusion sensitivity that can amplify downside. Why shares are down

Universal Health Services Company Profile

Universal Health Services, Inc (NYSE: UHS) is one of the largest diversified health care management companies in the United States, offering a broad spectrum of services through its acute care hospital and behavioral health segments. The company operates general acute care hospitals, surgical hospitals and ambulatory centers, as well as inpatient and outpatient behavioral health facilities. Its network provides emergency and specialized medicine, diagnostic imaging, laboratory services, advanced surgical care and rehabilitation, complemented by a comprehensive array of behavioral services including psychiatric treatment, addiction programs and developmental disabilities care.

In the acute care segment, UHS’s facilities deliver services ranging from emergency department treatment and intensive care to maternity care and outpatient surgery.